Improvement in



' UNITED STA'IES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM WESTLAKE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN SLATE-WASHERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 138,218, dated April 22, 1873; application tiled March 7, 1873. y'

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM WESTLAKE, ofthe city of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Slate-Washers, of which the following is a full description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing making a part of this specification, in which- 4 v Figure lis an elevation 5 Fig. 2, a section in line m w of Fig. l; Fig. 3, a view showing the two parts detached; Fig. 4, a top View of the water-receptacle; Fig. 5, a view of a secondary cover for the water-receptacle; and Fig. 6, a section of the same on line y y of Fig. 5.

The object of my invention is to provide an instrument by the use of which school-children can carry a sponge and water for washing their slates in their pockets, and which, when so carried or left -in the desk in any position, will not let the water leak out and damage other articles, and this I accomplish by the use of two receptacles screwed together, in one of which the sponge is placed and in the other the water.

In the drawing, A represents the spongereceptacle, made of zinc other suitable material, spun from a single piece of metal in the form shown, and provided with a screwthread, a, and flange b at the bottom. Bis the water-receptacle, also formed from a single piece of metal, spun into the form shown, having a screw-thread, d, tting the screw-thread a, the top c of which, as shown, is of a concave form, but may be at, and provided with a hole, e, to ll the receptacle, and another hole, f, for vent. The flange h of this receptacle B is spun around the bottom C, as shown in Fig. 2, and may be soldered to make it perfectly water-tight. The flange b on the bottom of A fits snugly against the ange h of B, as shown in Figs. l and 2.

In use, a sponge is placed in the receptacle `A, and the receptacle B lled with water through the hole e. The receptacle A is then screwed onto B. When the slate is to be washed the receptacle A is unscrewed, the sponge taken out, and, if too dry, it can be placed in the concave top c, and the receptacle B reversed, when water will run into the sponge. If too wet the surplus water can be squeezed into A, or otherwise disposed of.

After the slate has been washed the sponge v is returned to A, which is again screwed on B, and the device placed to one side till it is wanted again.

This device can be carried inthe pockets of school-children, or left in any position without any danger of its leaking, as the water in the receptacle B will be absorbed by the sponge in A, which sponge is not shown in the drawing. If, however, the water is not wholly absorbed by the sponge, none will escape to the outside of the device, because the flange b on the bottom of A iits so snugly on B.,

If desired, a cover, D, Figs. 5 and 6, the form of which corresponds to the concave top c, may be used to cover the holes e and f in c; but this cover D is not absolutely necessary, as the sponge, when the receptacle A is screwed down, will be held tightly against the top c, and form a sucient cover therefor.

Vh-at I claim as new is as follows:

The sponge-receptacle A, having a Ascrewthread, a, in combination with the water-receptacle B, having a screw thread, d, and with orv without a top, D, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

WILLIAM WESTLAKE.

Witnesses E. A. WEST, vO. W. BOND. 

